News

Simpl for iOS 11 is nearly ready! As usual, our developers have been hard at work to make sure we are ready for Apple's newest iOS update. Stayed tuned for the update which we expect to ship this month.

Simpl Website Builder is now optimised for iOS 10 with in-app subscriptions.

Simpl 3.82 makes subscriptions easier, faster and more local for users. New customers can now subscribe directly from the Settings > Publish screen in the app - no extra login required. It's much simpler than before.

As well as being easier, prices are now localised in over 150 different App Store countries. The baseline pricing is virtually unchanged at just $7.99 monthly or $79.99 annually, but will now show in your local currency (£,€,¥ etc) within the app.

Simpl runs beautifully on iOS 10 thanks to new stability improvements. Since its release we have already seen a significant fall in reported stability issues.

Apple releases iOS 10 on 13th Sept 2016. As always with major releases of iOS, our advice is "Wait to Update".

We recommend users wait one or two months before downloading the newest version of iOS. Why do we always say this?

Waiting one or two months provides a better all-round user experience for you. iOS 9 is already very stable, whereas iOS 10 is not quite as stable as it is so new. Simpl is already optimised for iOS 9 and is stable.

Waiting one or two months gives time for Apple to squash bugs in iOS 10 (remember: it's a major release)

Waiting one or two months gives Simpl and your other app developers time to optimise their apps for iOS 10

Our talented app developers are hard at work creating a new version of Simpl to be released very soon after iOS 10 ships. And we're pretty excited about it.

But our advice remains: "Wait to Update" to iOS 10, for two months if you can.

(By contrast, with smaller updates, eg iOS 10.1, 10.2 etc when they arrive, we recommend updating quickly - especially if it is an iOS security update.)

Want to join over 200,000 others and enjoy the world's simplest website maker?

Hope you’re enjoying the Olympics! Simpl had a “gold rush” of its own recently, and is also adding 6x more users every day than at the start of 2016. It’s awesome, and we are grateful to our incredible community.

To manage this growth well, Simpl is making a change. Starting 5th Sept 2016, we will delete all older, unused websites (websites without a paid subscription) from our Cloud server. For newer users, Simpl will store non-subscribed websites for up to 3 months only from the date a free trial begins.*

This change is about tidying up unused files, and will not impact the experience for most users. Users whose free trial has ended will be able to re-upload their websites with a paid subscription.

If you are not a paying subscriber, and you wish to keep your website, you will need to take out a monthly or annual subscription. You can do that here:

* Once we delete a website from our Cloud server, your website content will stay on your device as long as you do not delete Simpl app. To put your website on our Cloud server again, and take your website live, all you need to do is purchase a subscription and tap “Publish”.

We're all photographers now, so Simpl is focused on making your photos shine!

Today we are announcing further improvements to our recently upgraded photo galleries in Simplicity 2 theme. These include photo darkening to indicate more clearly where to click to see your photos in all their full-screen glory.

FREE HOSTING DOUBLED - We listened to your feedback and recently upped our free hosting welcome period from 14 to 30 days. (Annual paid subscribers of course get 60 free days per year!)

IPAD PRO - Simpl is now optimised for all screen sizes from the smallest iPhone to the biggest iPad. You're welcome!

GLORIOUS BUG FIXES - In our last release our awesome developers squashed a record 43 bugs. This means that YOU encounter fewer pain points in the app. All software has bugs so the question is, are they being fixed? The answer with Simpl is an emphatic YES.

SIMPLICITY 2 - We've had a great response to Simplicity 2's edge-to-edge mobile photos. A small number of users reported a blank page after publishing though. The good news is, this bug fix has worked for most users. If you need more help, contact our Support Desk.

NEXT UPDATE - Our next app update is nearly complete! Standby for more photos-related goodness. :)

Online shops are definitely one of Simpl's most popular website builder features. So we were sad to discover a small bug after our iOS 9 update. This caused a message to appear when a verifying PayPal account for a shop, that said you needed to be connected to the internet, when in fact you already were connected.

We're happy to report that the bug is fixed and the mobile app update has been approved. So, new shop users can once again be open for business! Simpl 3.2.3 is the app version needed to fix the bug on your mobile device.

Simpl's latest app update, bringing improvements for iOS 9, is now live in the App Store. Thanks to our developers for their stellar work, to Apple for a great new version of their OS, and most importantly to you our users for creating websites with Simpl!

Apple is releasing iOS9 today for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Once again, Simpl is proud to be among the first wave of apps to be optimised for it. Once again our developers have done a phenomenal job in a very short space of time. However, our advice with big new software releases is always:

'Wait To Update'.

We recommend waiting before updating both iOS9 and Simpl for two reasons:

It's a good idea to wait around a month until iOS 9.1 ships. This will squash any major bugs that are in iOS 9.0 - and spare you the pain of experiencing them.

The update to Simpl's Website Builder App may take 10-14 days to be approved. While we have thoroughly tested it, we cannot guarantee that there won't be a few small things to fix, so there may be another small update very soon.

#thewebsitebuilder is designed for people like you who make websites and often run home businesses too. The newsletter is packed with tips and inspiration from around the web, plus insightful articles we have written especially for you.

Do you create or manage a website or small business? Then you'll love #thewebsitebuilder! To receive it direct to your inbox, scroll to the bottom of this page and join our mailing list. It's free of course. :)

So, you’ve downloaded Simpl app, created a name for your website and you've added some photos and text. Yet you feel like there must be more. Here are 5 things that are often overlooked when publishing websites for the first time:

Facebook & Twitter links
In your app settings, take a minute to copy in links to your business Facebook and Twitter pages. This will give your clients another way to interact with you and create a cohesive web presence. You can find the icons at the bottom of the homepage. (TIP: Linking to your website from your social media accounts is also a great idea!)
Simpl Website Example: walkingbyfaith.simpl.com

Completing the 'Details' section
When setting up your website this area is sometimes overlooked, but it is an easy way to help search engines find you. The Details section of the app is the ideal place to use keyword descriptions that not only describe your company to clients but to search engines as well. Keywords, descriptive words and links are all powerful tools for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Starting with our iPad app 3 years ago, Simpl has always been a pioneering, mobile-first company. Last year we added the iPhone app AND offered mobile-friendly website themes - a long time before most site builders and 14 months ahead of Google's big change to its mobile search results. We just love mobile!

Today Simpl is delighted to announce that our own website www.simpl.com is also now mobile-friendly. Take a look from your iPhone or iPad and you'll see that it looks great, is much easier-to navigate, has crystal-clear fonts and spacing. We've worked hard to make it a thing of beauty.

We are a small, independent company and we couldn't have got this far without people like you. Thanks for supporting us on the journey and please let us know if there is any way we can serve you better.

* Simpl was rated 5 stars in UK and Canada in July 2015, and 4.5 stars in USA. Simpl was the first result on the UK App Store for the search term 'website builder' in July 2015.

We'll be posting to the Website Builder Blog frequently, and sending some of the very best bits to our users by email. If you're not yet on our mailing list, sign up from the bottom of this page (scroll right down). And if there's something you'd like us to cover on the blog, just let us know!

On Thu 21st May 2015, Simpl will perform scheduled maintenance work on its servers. Please note that some functions of the app may be affected, and websites may also be unavailable during this time. While work is ongoing, updates will be made on Facebook and Twitter.

Simpl will make best efforts to minimise the disruption. We appreciate your patience and apologise for any inconvenience.

Changes To Simpl's Terms Of Service

2nd May 2015

On Thu 21st May 2015 we will be updating the Terms of Service for all users of Simpl. The changes are relatively minor and will include the addition of references to our iPhone app, as well as making some prohibited uses of Simpl websites clearer. A link to the new full Terms of Service will appear on this blog post shortly.

The use of Simpl app, the cloud restore service, and the website hosting service on or after 21st May 2015 will constitute agreement to the amended Terms of Service. Users and customers who do not wish to agree to the new terms should discontinue use of the app. We hope our updated terms will be of benefit to all our users.

Sincerely
The Simpl Team

Changes To Simpl's Pricing

1st May 2015

From Wed 20th May 2015 we are making changes and improvements to pricing, to better support our customers. We are excited to let you know about these changes and how you can benefit.

1. Monthly Subscriptions Frozen

For existing users, we are delighted to announce that we are freezing the monthly hosting subscription at $4.99. This is the same price we have held since Simpl launched. We are doing this to say a huge “thank you” for your phenomenal support. But the good news doesn’t stop there…

2. NEW Annual Subscriptions — Get Two Months Free!

Many of you have asked to pay yearly. So we are happy to announce a new annual subscription of only $49.00 for existing users, giving you two months free. This lowers the monthly cost to just $4.08. We think this is a really sweet deal and we hope you agree!

3. New Starting Price — Two Months Free With Annual Subscription

After 20th May 2015, our starting price will rise to $7.99 monthly, or $79.00 annually with two months free. The app now delivers YouTube video integration, PayPal shop and mobile-ready themes on both iPhone and iPad, and the new price reflects these great features. New customers will save money with the annual subscription, giving two months of free website hosting, which lowers the monthly cost to just $6.58. It’s a very affordable deal for home business users.

Subscribe Now To Get The Old Price!

Everyone who has created a Simpl username on or before Wed 20th May 2015 will automatically be offered the old monthly and annual subscriptions when they login. To create a Simpl username, you must download the app AND publish your website for the first time by 20th May 2015. You will then be able to login with that username and purchase your subscription at the lower rate. Usernames created after this date will not qualify for the old pricing.